Tell me what you think of this workmanship.

[noobie]

Date: 10/29/2004 2:48:44 PM
Author: reena

Date: 10/29/2004 2:45

2 PM
Author: Dadof4
I asked Christen at Good Old Gold to let me have the proviso that if my wife doesn''t love the ring, that we could get all our money back. After consultiing with Jonathan, she said that Vatche was unwilling to budge on money back, and that I could therefore only get my money back on the Jubilees from GOG. I would be out the money for the setting.

this, IMO, is absolutely outrageous.

Like I said Reena, this thread tells me a lot about Vatche.

 

[reena]

yes, and this is sure to be unpopular, but what about good old gold? i know they said they''d give him a refund on the stones, but if i recall correctly (and DO4, if i am wrong please correct me) it was GOG who assured DO4 that these stones would work in the vatche setting. shouldn''t they stand behind that promise?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/29/2004 2:57:26 PM
Author: reena
yes, and this is sure to be unpopular, but what about good old gold? i know they said they''d give him a refund on the stones, but if i recall correctly (and DO4, if i am wrong please correct me) it was GOG who assured DO4 that these stones would work in the vatche setting. shouldn''t they stand behind that promise?

Iv got to agree.
He is the one ultimatly responsible becuase he is the one that took the money for it.
But before we roast him too much lets give Jonathon another chance to settle this.
I know for a fact that he is as frustrated and upset about this as we are.

 

[reena]

that''s completely true, and based on what i''ve seen from jon in the past, he will likely step forward to rectify this. as he should.

of course, there''s always the possibility that DO4 will be happy with the ring when he sees it in person. i will cross my fingers that that''s the case!

 

[Libster]

I know you''ve been through a very frustrating experience, but for what it''s worth I think the ring is beautiful

I hope once you see it, you and your wife do too!

 

[solange]

I think $2640 is an outrageous price to pay for a setting that is not quite right for your stones and was obviously not custom made for them. My husband gave me a diamond and two Burmese rubies as a gift a few years ago and told me to pick a setting. I did not know about Pricescope or designer settings so I went to a jeweler in the Diamond District and he got me a fairly heavy hand made platinum setting for $650. It looks just like the Tiffany basket setting but it has no brand name. It took one day for him to get the setting and have the stones set. The stones,1.75 center diamond and rubies 3/4 carat each, are set low in the setting and the prongs are just right. I guess there was a ready made setting that was a perfect fit for my stones.The appraiser descrbed it as a hand made platinum setting of high quality.

I would expect that Vatche is far better quality but if you have to settle for something that is just acceptable and have so much grief over it, not to mention the long wait, you are not getting what you paid a premium for. I know that a five stone setting is harder to find than a three stone but perhaps Jonathan should have advised you that if this was what you wanted it had to custom made. I would be curious to know what Mark Morrell would charge to make a setting for your stones.

You paid a premium for quality and service and I would think that Vatche would agree to a refund if you are not satisfied. What good is a refund for the stones when it is the setting you are unhappy with? If the president of the company was unable to get you timely service and is unwilling to give you a refund if you are dissatisfied after they did it incorrectly the first time, it does not speak well of his organization. At that price you should not have the pressure of hoping your wife likes it because you are stuck with it even if she doesn't.

The bad publicity his company has already gotten on this site will no doubt cost him far more than $2640 in lost sales.

 

[noobie]

Date: 10/29/2004 3:24:49 PM
Author: reena
that''s completely true, and based on what i''ve seen from jon in the past, he will likely step forward to rectify this. as he should.

of course, there''s always the possibility that DO4 will be happy with the ring when he sees it in person. i will cross my fingers that that''s the case!

Yes, I''m waiting for Jon''s response as well before commenting.

Hopefull she wil just love it.

 

[researcher]

I must agree that this setting is for princess cut stones. But, I think the improvements on the setting ARE noticeable. I really think the first version was horrible--I think the second one looks good. I agree that you should have a PERFECT setting considering the money you paid, but I don''t think the ring is in any way odd looking at this point. It''s very pretty, just not worth the premium or hassle. But, because your GF is not aware of all of this, I''m sure she will love it

 

[moremoremore]

I agree....as long as the stones are secure...which is the most important function of the setting...and the setting looks pretty....which it does...I think that you''re in business. No one but no one will focus on the prongs like you are...I understand your frustration and that fact that a premium has been paid...but do you really want to start all over at this point? I say keep it, have her wear it and congrats!

 

[Rhino]

Greetings ya'll,

I think this is the case of a mountain being made of an anthill. The shots are extremely close macro ($900 macro lens on a $1500 body) so first of all the viewers are seeing inside of every nook and cranny. No ring in any store hardly goes through this kind of scrutiny or on a public forum. Please note I'm not making excuses either. The ring, at first was really not done as we had liked however sometimes even we can be so anal that we've had clients tell us as long as it's not anything noticeable and there are no structural or durability problems that everything was just fine. That's why we send pictures from various angles before we ship a ring out. Bottom line is we want our clients to be satisfied with what they purchase.

The ring really does look *awesome*. The diamonds are absolutely mesmerizing and the setting is really gorgeous as are all 5 stone truffles. It is no less beautiful than any 5 stone truffle ring. Here are some additional shots of the completed ring.

Do4 ... you'll see it tomorrow. Email me and let me know how both you and especially how she responds.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 10/29/2004 5:23:38 PM
Author: Rhino
The shots are extremely close macro ($900 macro lens on a $1500 body) so first of all the viewers are seeing inside of every nook and cranny. No ring in any store hardly goes through this kind of scrutiny or on a public forum.

I really have to agree with this about seeing every nook and cranny AMPLIFIED and how misleading that is.

The same thing happened to me when I was having custom work done at Whiteflash. Ring was finished, Brian sent me pictures, and I replied "HOLY COW, those prongs are HUGE." I really wanted him to file them down some....they looked WAY too prominent in the pictures.

Brian explained that it was a "true but not really true" situation. The camera tells the truth as IT sees it.....but that''s not how your human eye sees it. In person, the prongs were completely proportional and looked fine. He was so sure about this that he said "let me ship it as is to you for inspection. If you don''t like them still, then we''ll eat the shipping to return them/adjust them to your liking." As usual, Brian was right...in person, the prongs didn''t look nearly as commanding as they had in pictures.

Macro mode has a way of making things look more imposing than they are. There is just no way to replicate that kind of viewing in person unless you are going to examine settings under a serious magnifying glass in the jewelry store.

Wait to see it in person, and then take a picture of it on the hand. I''ll bet $20 it looks MUCH different (and totally fine) when shown in proper scale.

 

[MrsFrk]

I think it looks much improved. That ring is just stunning, those diamonds render me speechless. She is going to swoon.

I have found this entire thread very interesting regarding Vatche. I''m a bit surprised at their laissez faire response to an unhappy customer. I expect much more from a company charging a hefty premium for their name.

 

[Bagpuss]

I agree with Jonathan and aljdewey. Close up pics can make prongs look huge. In person they appear much smaller. My last ring is a case in point. When I picked up the ring, the prongs hardly registered with me. When I took pics on the macro setting, they looked very square (head on) and enormous. For a while then, I kept thinking that they really were too big and I wasn''t sure if I liked the squared off look. I decided to do nothing for a while and see if they grew on me. I''m glad to say that they have. Now when I look at them I no longer think they are all that big. I do feel they are unique looking, solid as a rock and I wouldn''t change them for the world.

Having said that, the new look prongs on Dadof4''d ring look much better than the originals did, but I can''t say that I think much of DVatche''s customer service though.

 

[Nicrez]

Ok, and I thought i was tough! This is a thread full of people who probably are more detailed than most gemologist or setters! Bless you all, may your eyesight always be so keen...

I have to say that I was insistant on the Vatche X prong when I first got my e-ring. I went to Michael C. Fina to see it, and after two visits, I knew that for the price, that setting was carp. Sorry. I also didn't want to spend $4K plus on a setting (as I would rather have spent that on my STONE!). Granted I got my ring set in a temp gold setting which is crappier than anyything. I mean I can see the setter's plier dents on both sides of the basket. Plus the prongs look totally unpolished and crude. It bugs the daylights out of me, when I stare at it, and it's not even my PERMANENT setting!

That said, I can sympathize with you 100%. You pay enough and you work so hard to get that "perfect" ring, that anything short of your vision just knocks the wind out of ya! But also consider that there are human hands putting these stones in, and with human hands and eyes, there is always a varying amount of detail that can be taken care of...

The setter's job is to SECURE that stone in there, and it's a small stone and setting compared to these big blown up pictures. I doubt he had eyes as good as all yours, and if he did, perhaps even his hands betrayed him... it's not easy and almost impossible to make each and every single stone setting PERFECT... and if that is the case, you won't see that ring for months...

Just ask Mark Morrell. He literally is so booked that he is not taking any more clients at all this year, until further notice. It's just too much work and such a time consumption. Granted you don't want to sell garbage, but I think that this really was blown up a bit, and I almost feel bad for that bench jeweler. It all comes down to the final look, and once you get that ring, I don't think your wife will be annoyed by the appearance at all... Honestly.

Quality is very important, but sometimes not everyone shares your attention to detail and quality level. The key is finding someone who does, and sticking with them. So if it's a custom designer, then you may have to pay that custom price, or wait those extra few months, and realize that perfection doesn't happen over night.

Just like any other brand, there are defiencies and imprefections. You try to weed them out and fix all before they hit the market, but it doesn't always happen. I am just sad that Vatche wasn't as pro-active on the customer service line, because anyone can mess up, it's how you handle that mess up that makes you superior or average. Maybe it's a lesson for both parties, but I hope it works out!

I know your wife will LOVE IT!!!

Heck, I hate my setting, but I still stare ay my e-ring at least 3-4 times a minute!!!

(it's the stones that count, the rest are just place holders!)

 

[solange]

I was wondering if you got the ring. I hope it has come and your wife is thrilled with it. It looks beautiful in the last photos. Best of luck.

 

[Dadof4]

I got the ring Saturday morning. My first impression when I saw it was one of being unimpressed. All I saw was flaws in the prongs. But I kept in mind some of your recent posts, Nicrez'', Rhino''s, Bagpuss''s and others'', that the camera magnifies everything in a way that the human eye never sees. And once you''ve seen those, I think that there IS some kind of psychological thing going on that doesn''t let you see the beauty after seeing the flaws. A case of loosing the forest through the trees. So I thought that what I needed was my wife''s more objective eye, since I''ve kept her sheltered from looking at the photos I''ve seen, and from following this post.

SHE LOVED IT! Honestly and truely, with no reservation. It is just as she thought it would be. I said nothing about flaws that I thought I saw, but gently prompted her several ways to see if she found anything wrong, and she didn''t. The funny thing is, hearing her rave has had the effect of letting me see the beauty, to the point that I don''t see flaws. This ring is the one wife should have had 15 years ago. We added four side stones for the four kids we have. It''s a keeper.

Jonathan, you were absolutely correct. The Jubilees are completely stunning, and shine and sparkle better than the Hearts on Fire Dream diamonds we were considering. Wife, observing the ring in diffuse light remarked that she''s never seen so much white light reflected up from diamonds before. A row of 5 Jubs really is breathtaking. In the direct auditorium lights of the church we were in this morning the Jubs return an incredible spectrum of flashing color. It made it hard to pay attention to the sermon - - sorry God

I''d like to say for the record that Jonathan did stick by me, and did me right in the end. I''m glad I didn''t have to see what would have happened if wife didn''t like it though

Also for the record, for anyone considering a Vatche setting. The one I have purchase is the only one I have ever seen in person. We do like the design, which is why we picked it. I''ve seen several other pictures of Vatche settings which I likewise thought were beautiful. However, I''d agree with some of you that the setting that I bought is not well suited to Jubilee diamonds, making the prongs look a little funny the way they have to bend around the diamond. (This, however, is not terribly noticeable once you get dazzled by the Jubs and are not looking at a greatly magnified photo of the ring). My advice to anyone considering a Vatche setting would be to stick to the stock products, and do not try to get creative with other cuts of diamonds for which their settings were not designed. Don''t expect any personalized service. And for that matter, don''t expect any service at all. They seem to be too busy making money to be bothered by the customer, let alone any special requests. I do wish the folks at GoodOldGold had given me some clue as to what to expect or not expect when I emailed them some of my preferences on how I''d like the setting to be semi-customized.

Would I buy from Good Old Gold again? Unqualified yes.
Would I buy another Vatche ring? Only if I could see it before I purchased.

Thank you to each and every one of you who have lent your advice, simpathy and encouragement. This is a great website and community of diamond enthusiasts without which I would have been completely lost and without support.

I''ll try and post some pictures of the ring here, but after taking about 30 pictures, none really begin to do the ring justice.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Dad of 4. Thanks for posting your experience. I am glad your wife loves her ring. It is all that matters!

fortheloveofdiamonds

 

[Dadof4]

All I get is the above error message when I try to upload a file. I''ve tried renaming them. They are within the proper size limits, etc. Haven''t had much luck from work or home upload pictures. Any ideas?

 

[Dadof4]

Low light pic.

 

[Dadof4]

Another.

 

[Dadof4]

Another.

 

[Dadof4]

Another.

 

[Dadof4]

Well, after several attempts, renaming the photos, logging out and in, I managed to get 4 photos up. Only have two more, but can't get those loaded for some reason. Hope these give you a good idea.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Morticia]

Wow! That ring is GORGEOUS!!!!

Absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

 

[strmrdr]

Glad it worked out and she loved it.
Congrates!

 

[Rhino]

 

[KBerly]

absolutely stunning

the jubes look so brilliant and white and flawless! so glad your wife adores it, there would be no reason why she wouldn't

try to throw some hand pics in there too

 

[Libster]

I''m so happy she loved it!!! I think it is stunning too

 

[Patty]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting them.